Berry Is The New Black
by askforgardenia
Summary: Rachel Berry saw herself going many places in life, but Lima Heights Adjacent Woman's Correctional wasn't one of them. What starts out as a struggle for survival soon becomes a quest for acceptance within the constrictive walls as she discovers the ins and outs of prison life. She soon finds that appearances can be deceiving, and that behind every criminal lies a story to be told.
1. Chapter 1: Incarceration

**Incarceration  
**

Hiram sighed as he watched his daughter's constant fidgeting and shuffling movements in his peripheral vision. She squirmed agitatedly in the back seat of her dad's Prius, not out of discomfort, but out of anxiousness. She was visibly unsettled and, to him, she had never looked so small. He remembers how she used to bounce around on that same seat, smile wide and energy radiating off of her in waves as she sang along enthusiastically to the radio or her latest Broadway CD mix, ready to take on the world. But now, the radio remained silent. No laughter or song was heard from over his shoulder. Now, instead of that sparkling gleam they once held, her eyes were dull and her lips thin and downturned. She seemed so broken…so empty, but most of all, she seemed so utterly _terrified_.

Catching her father's soft and sympathetic gaze, she proffered a small forced smile before tearing her eyes away to stare dejectedly out her window, more comfortable watching the white street lines zip by and the trees and houses pass than see that look directed at her. She wasn't used to it. She doubted she'd ever be. It wasn't like her to be on the receiving end of such pity and sorrow, least of all from her father. Usually people's gazes would be appreciative, holding fascination or wonderment or, in her parents' case, pure pride. But not anymore, and it tore her apart inside.

She didn't want to worry her fathers. She didn't want to cause them any more stress than she already had. She already hated herself for deepening the frown lines on their foreheads, for creating the puffiness in their eyes and the sagging under them too. After all, she had been the sole cause of it all. So she tried to hide the shaking of her hands by pretending to adjust her seat belt or by fiddling with her small gold star necklace that she was given as a celebratory gift after graduating from high school.

She tried to keep her breaths slow and steady, holding back her urge to allow herself the need to panic and hyperventilate and to just _gasp_ for more air because she felt as if the world was closing in on her and there was nowhere she could turn. Nowhere she could _run_. Nowhere to hide from the consequences of her actions anymore. She had been caught, and now, it was time to face the music. Only this time, she didn't want to hear it.

She knew she would as soon as the car arrived at their destination, but as long as she kept herself together, kept calm and collected, she'd cause the two men in front of her a little less heartache, and she'd be able to deny what was to become of her in the inevitable future for a little while longer. So in the meantime she was content with just staring longingly out the window, trying to soak up all the sights that she knew she wouldn't be able to see for a long time. If she tried really hard and closed her eyes, she could even let herself pretend that it was just another family road trip like they used to take when she was younger. She could just pretend, even if only for a little while longer, that she was free, because she knew that soon she wouldn't be able to indulge that dream anymore.

Glancing over at his husband who was also watching Rachel in his rear view mirror, Hiram reached over the centre console and held Leroy's hand within his own, light skin clasping dark. Leroy exhaled slowly at the gesture, his husband's support taking an invisible weight off of his slumped shoulders. His firm grip on the steering wheel relaxed slightly and the crease in his brow smoothed considerably. He turned to his right and both men shared a look of understanding, squeezing each other's hand tighter in silent communication. This was happening. It was really happening. But they'd get through it together, all three of them.

What was minutes felt like hours as Leroy sharply flicked his indicator on and turned into another new street, this one void of traffic and with nobody in sight. They were on the far outskirts of Lima now, far away from their humble suburbia full of charming homes and familiar places and faces. These streets they travelled on now were foreign and unknown. There weren't kids playing in the front yards. No friendly neighbour greeting another as one mowed the lawn while the other collected the mail. No dog happily pawing the pavement alongside his owner on the sidewalk. Nothing. Just the monotonous passing of now desolated flats, the odd boarded up shop front, and eventually large factories carelessly billowing smoke into the atmosphere.

Rounding one last corner, the Berry family all released a collective gasp as their destination loomed haughtily from over the hillside.

Rachel's shoulders tensed as she bit down on her quivering lip to prevent the ebb of tears threatening to rise at the sight. The upcoming sign on the side of the deserted roadway only serving as another reminder of her sealed fate, the bold black letters holding an air of finality as they shone innocently in the sun's morning rays.

_**U.S. Department of Justice **_

_**Federal Department of Corrections**_

_**Federal **_

_**Correctional **_

_**Institution**_

_**Lima Heights Adjacent**_

_**Lima, Ohio**_

* * *

Self-surrender. It was a simple enough concept that was quite self-explanatory, really. She was giving herself up; admitting her fault and willingly paying her dues for it. It was quite noble in a sense, but she knew that it would make no difference beyond those harsh unrelenting brick walls and tall steel chain-linked and barb-wire topped fences that would enclose her for the next 15 months. The sight of it alone churning her stomach violently, a sickening feeling of unease settling in her gut.

"Alrighty, Miss…" the tall stocky woman who had introduced herself as Officer Beiste addressed with a deep voice, a lilt of a southern accent coming through as she read down the filled out surrender form, finding the name of the person in question and tapping her clipboard soundly. "Berry, here's your temporary ID. You'll stick this on your uniform when we get to that."

Rachel's nod was so small it was almost imperceptible, but her acceptance of the small sticker was answer enough. Leroy ran a worried hand over his dark brown crew cut as the reality of the situation hit him. Hiram took his glasses off and wiped away the fogginess and wetness that had blurred his lenses with the bottom hem of his stripped polo shirt. They all stood in a small empty waiting room outside the closed off admissions office. The space was filled with empty hard plastic chairs in the centre and lining the walls, and protocol posters and public service announcements and messages littering the walls surfaces. Rachel let her eyes wander over them needily, hoping that they could quell some of her fears about what she was about to face and provide her with something else to focus on other than the separation that was to come.

"Time to say goodbye, it might be a while before you'll be able to visit," Beiste told the two men regrettably. One rested both his hands on his child's back, trying to keep the girl grounded and relaxed as much as possible by massaging soothing circles over her shoulder blades and maintaining contact with her for as long as possible because he knew that he wouldn't be able to do so again for a very long time. The other, the tall burly African-American, unlike his shorter and paler counterpart, stood tall and met her level gaze steadfastly. His dark brown eyes trying to convey a desperate unspoken plea in them. It spoke volumes, begging her to look after his beloved daughter, because he wasn't able to anymore.

Beiste blinked and lowered her head slowly in a sign of understanding, evoking a thanking smile from Leroy. She turned around and walked a few paces away to give the small unconventional family some sense of privacy to say their farewells.

Turning around to face her fathers, Rachel looked up into two sets of watery brown eyes that held so much love shining through them, before collapsing into their waiting arms.

"I'm so sorry for all of this. For everything. I am so so sorry, Daddy," she cried into Leroy's soft jumper, inhaling deeply through her nose and trying to consolidate his scent to memory before doing the same for Hiram.

"Oh, babygirl," Hiram cried as he held her equally as tightly as she did him, not wanting the moment to end. "It's ok baby, it's ok. You don't have to apologise. We know you were only doing what you thought was right. What you believed in. And we are so very proud of you, so unbelievably proud."

Rachel's shoulders shook harder as Leroy circled around the two people that meant the world to him and held them both within his embrace, placing a lingering kiss to the top of his daughter's head before whispering, "we love you," over and over again in her ear as he rested his cheek on the same spot she had felt his trembling lips.

"We'll visit as often as they'll allow Rae, I promise," Leroy affirmed determinedly.

Rachel nodded fiercely into his firm chest before Officer Beiste softly faux coughed, signalling their ended time together.

"I love you both more than I can ever adequately express in words," Rachel laughed as she wiped away the salty droplets from her cheeks, trying to lighten the gloominess lingering in the room, not wanting the last image her fathers saw of her for a while to be such a glum one. "No matter what happens, that will never change. Please know that and never forget it. I truly feel like the luckiest daughter in the world to have such incredible parents, and I'm so thankful for you both."

Leroy and Hiram both laughed along too, mimicking their daughter by wiping away the residual wetness from their tear-stained face before Leroy replied, "and we feel the same for being blessed with such a beautiful daughter, inside and out," he finished as he tilted her bowed head up to kiss her forehead one last time.

The three Berry's smiled at each other before Beiste stepped forward and gently ushered Rachel away from the admissions foyer, the young girl quickly turning her head around to blow a kiss over her shoulder to her waving fathers before losing sight of them behind a set of large thick double doors.

* * *

"Strip."

"S-strip? A-as in…" Rachel stuttered as she stood in a large locker room with folded linens, readily available uniforms and the standard footwear filling the shelves along the white wash walls.

"As in, please remove all pieces of clothing and stand before me please, sweetie," Beiste explained reassuringly as the obviously nervous girl before her rubbed her hands up and down her arms before acquiescing. After performing a body check and determining what she had already predicted, that the girl wasn't smuggling any contraband on her person, she handed her her newly assigned uniform and allowed her to cover her naked body.

Rachel had never felt so exposed before. Probably because she never had been stark naked in front of a complete stranger before, but it was more than just baring her skin. It was like she was baring her soul. It was so…_violating_. She had never felt so helpless and powerless before in her life. So used to giving commands and dictating her own actions and sometimes even the actions of others, the naturally authoritative diva realised that she would now have to accept the fact that she couldn't control everything in her life anymore. It would all be controlled for her by others, and there was nothing she could do about it.

The bright orange jumpsuit fit the short brunette quite well, only just a little loosely around her long lean legs because of her petite frame, but Rachel never complained, accepting it with gratitude. Beiste sighed sadly at the sight of such a sweet and tiny girl in the prison getup. She never liked seeing young women, no older than 20 in Rachel Berry's case, being admitted into an adult prison. She wished that they could serve their sentences in a juvenile detention centre instead. At least there they'd be handled less harshly and be able to be with more people their own age, with more leniencies and options available to them. More support and openness. But unfortunately, the law just didn't work that way. Once you hit that 18 mark, you were legally considered an adult, and you were to be treated as such.

Rachel gnawed on her bottom lip as she looked down at her white lace up sneakers, tanned zip up winter jacket and orange jumpsuit. This would be her outfit from now on. She scrunched up her nose unconsciously because orange _really_ wasn't her colour, but then again, it wasn't really anyone's colour, was it? She just _really_ missed her argyle sweater vests.

Officer Beiste offered her a half-hearted smile of encouragement as she lined up outside the back of the office building for entrance into the transfer bus which would drive her the remainder of the way to the actual prison.

As a tall blonde in front of her stepped on, also clad in orange, she followed suit by taking a steady step up into the large van. Before the van's door closed in on her she mouthed a soft, "thank you," to the kind officer, before turning completely in her seat and buckling in her seat belt with a resounding click.

Rachel stared down at her lap, rubbing her hands up and down her thighs just to give them something to do before she could almost physically feel eyes burning into the side of her head.

Turning to her left languidly she was met with curious blue eyes smiling across at her.

"Hi!" the girl greeted brightly with a grin beaming with just as much intensity to match. "I'm Brittany, nice to meet ya!"

Rachel flinched and clutched her assigned linens, sleepwear, pillow and towel closer to her chest as an eager hand flew up across the spacing between them, reaching excitedly for hers. Not wanting to offend this girl that looked roughly the same age as her, she politely held her own out and took the fairer hand within hers.

"Nice to meet you Brittany, I'm Rachel."

Brittany's smile widened as she shook the smaller tanned hand with more vigour.

Rachel forced herself to supress a laugh at the enthusiasm that just emanated off of the blonde.

"So, what'cha in for?" Brittany asked, finally releasing Rachel's delicate hand and wiggling around to get more comfortable in her seat.

"Are you supposed to ask me that? I read that it isn't appropriate to ask someone that…"

"Where'd ya read _that_? Was there like a book we had to read? I didn't know! I haven't read it! Will I get in trouble? Is there gonna be a test?" Brittany fired off rapidly, questioning everything so innocently that Rachel quickly spoke to make amends to the other girl's unnecessary worry.

"No, no, there wasn't any mandatory reading required. I just thought it would be wise to research the commonly accepted prison etiquette in preparation for my stay in here."

Brittany licked her lips slowly in seemingly deep thought before frowning.

"Soooooo, is there a test or not? Because I didn't understand like three words you just said so I think I'll probably fail it."

"No, Brittany, there's no test, don't worry."

The bubbly girl pepped up again in relief. "Cool! Because I wasn't ever really good at tests in high school. I only barely graduated thanks to lots of tutoring from my brother, Sam. You'd like him, he's really nice, but he isn't very smart either. He can't read so well because he's dyslexic, so I helped him with his English as much as I could, and he helped me with math because he's better with numbers than I am. Ya know, I actually thought the square root of four was rainbows for a while."

Rachel sat utterly stunned at the freely yapping and jovial girl she'd literally_ just _met. She had been so scared of letting other people know any personal details about her. She'd even considered creating a pseudonym to use on the inside to protect herself and her identity, but her fathers told her that she was being a little _too_ melodramatic, and that if she changed her name she might end up forgetting who she really was whilst separated from society for such a long period of time, especially in such an environment. But this girl, Brittany, wasn't scared at all. Rachel wondered if the girl was actually scared of _anything_. Of the prison, of the other women that would await her in there, and of everything that none of the books could prepare Rachel for.

What scared Rachel most of all though? What would wait for her after her sentence was up. The terrifying answer? Nothing. No job prospects. No real college opportunities. No friends. Nothing. With a criminal record, she had no future, and _that_ terrified her.

The front driver's side door opened and closed as a robust dark-skinned girl dressed in a short-sleeved khaki top and matching pants with a similar thick jacket draped over her shoulders pulled her security belt across her chest before turning around to face the two lone passengers in the back seat.

"Well hello to you two. How's your day been so far?" she asked casually, no sarcasm registering in her voice at all which shocked Rachel because, really? She was _really_ asking them that?

Rachel blinked repeatedly before Brittany leaned forward in her seat to get a better look at the new girl that sat in front of her in the driver's seat.

"Really great actually! Much less scary than I thought it would be so far. I mean, Rachel is like super nice so it's really awesome knowing I'll have a friend that I can talk to in there," Brittany piped in happily.

Their driver then shook her head. "You can't call her that. Sure, on the outside everyone would call you by you by your first name, but in here, everyone uses last names. It's just how it works."

"Oh," Brittany paused before perking up again, "well mine's Pierce. Brittany S. Pierce," she said before she huffed and crossed her arms defensively. "_Not_ to be confused with Britney Spears, the pop icon that stole my name and whose fame-filled shadow has tormented me my whole life."

Rachel's jaw slackened as it hung open in confusion at the blonde's words before snapping her attention back to the girl in front of her.

"I'm Berry, Rachel Berry."

The driver laughed as she heard the new soon to be inmates sound off their names so formally.

"Y'all can calm down. I'm not your superior or anythin' so there's no need to get all James Bond-y on me. I'm Jones, but since y'all told me your first names it's only fair I let you in on mine. It's Mercedes, nice to meet you both."

"Wait so, you're an inmate? And they let you drive?" Rachel questioned in surprise.

Mercedes chuckled heartily, "well who else is gonna do it? We do everythin' 'round here, you'll see that soon enough."

Sending a small salute to Beiste through the passenger side window after having spoken to her outside of the van earlier whilst Rachel and Brittany got acquainted, Mercedes turned the key in the ignition before shifting into first and starting the last stretch of their journey.

The ride was sluggish and bumpy as the van drove up a long dirt road with nothing but those constrictive fences barring off the open plains now surrounding them. They were very far from her Lima now. The crunch of the gravel below the tyres acting as the only sound in the awkward silence that filled the inside of the van.

"Can we play a game or somethin'? I'm really bored," Brittany sighed as her head leaned against the glass, feeling the vibrations that rumbled through the van.

"I'm not really in the mood."

"Oh come oooon Rach- Berry. What about 'I spy'?"

"There's nothing around here except trees and fences," Rachel replied, a sense of despondency obviously present in her tone. She missed the city lights and hustle and bustle of New York's unrelenting street life.

"Darn, those were both my answers. You're good at this game."

"We're almost there," Mercedes alerted them as they drove around one last bend before the large red brick building that they would soon call home appeared through the front window over the chunky dashboard.

Rachel swallowed painfully as the van pulled to a stop in front of the gates, an officer waving them through as another operated and lifted the boom gates with the touch of a button, before the van slipped inside and the gates closed solidly behind them again.

"Any last minute advice?" Rachel asked as her leg bounced up and down expeditiously of its own accord.

"Yeah, y'all seem like good kids so here's some tips, so listen up." Rachel and Brittany both leaned forward in their seats, not wanting to miss a word. "Don't make direct eye contact for too long 'cause people will think you're either interested in a hook up or challengin' 'em or just plain crazy, but also don't be too distant 'cause everyone will treat you like nothin' and you won't earn any favours that way. But also don't be too friendly 'cause they'll take advantage of you in a heartbeat. Don't trust anyone, not even the officers. _Especially_ not the officers. Don't walk _anywhere_ barefoot…" Mercedes listed as she counted off on her fingers before pausing in order to try and recall one point that evaded her for a beat.

"Under _no_ circumstances should you _ever_ insult the food," she warned adamantly. "…Oh, and don't die," Mercedes finished, offering a smile at the end as if it was the most normal thing in the world to be told. "A'ight, let's go girls."

Rachel bowed her head in thanks as the van's engine was killed and the vehicle became stationary.

Brittany undid her belt and scooted over across the saggy cheap leather next to Rachel as the large sliding door was flung open on her side of the van by an officer. A long concrete path paved the way toward the prison, lined with curious inmates all watching the new comers intently. Rachel always loved being in the spotlight. In fact, she usually _thrived_ in it and sought it out as much as possible. But not today. Not now. Not here.

The feeling of at least twenty different sets of eyes tracking her every movement had never shaken her more. She was petrified, standing rooted to the ground, her body refusing to take a step further. The ogling and scrutinising looks directed at her putting her on edge even more. She didn't know whether some were checking her out as a potential lover, or as a potential threat. Either way, she knew she didn't want to find out.

Brittany smiled unabashedly at all the strangers looking her way, even waving to some of them. Taking a skip in following of Mercedes, Brittany soon realised the lacking presence of the shorter girl she had just spent the past twenty minutes getting to know. Turning back, she saw brown eyes wide like a deer caught in headlights, darting in all directions. Titling her head to the side, she shook it lightly before stepping up to the girl and holding her hand out.

"Hey, it's gonna be ok, Berry. You don't have to be so scared anymore. I promise I won't let anybody hurt you. Us newbies gotta stick together, right?"

Rachel heard the words and released a breath she didn't realise she'd been holding as she closed her eyes and clasped Brittany's hand, relishing in the feeling of safety the gesture held, and the vow of protection it promised.

Brittany nodded and faced the entrance to the prison once again, this time taking her step towards it and hearing Rachel do the same beside her. Mercedes was a few metres ahead, walking calmly like this was just a typical day for her and she was on a leisurely stroll.

As the two new inmates made their approach, catcalls and wolf-whistles ensued, sometimes followed up with a flirtatious passing comment or holler from the smirking inmates leaning back against the fence on either side of the walkway.

Mercedes had now reached the door, holding it open in waiting for the two new inductees. Brittany tried to walk at her usual pace with a spring in her step, but Rachel's hand shook within hers so violently that she was forced to slow down for her, before subtly whispering into the brunette's ear.

"Rach- uhh, I mean, Berry, you need to calm down a little. You're shaking like a tree!"

"L-leaf."

"What? You want me to leave?"

"No!" Rachel answered quickly, her nervous stuttering dissipating instantly as alarm ran through her body, taking and clutching the warm hand within hers tighter. "The expression is…nevermind. Please don't leave me. I…I don't want to do this alone."

Feeling Rachel's other hand cling to her same forearm that led to their clasped hands, Brittany also fastened her grip, giving all the answer Rachel needed.

Rachel leaned into Brittany's side even more, wanting to feel closer to her and further away from the other women. Her lips tweaked upwards as she felt the strengthening of the bond between them, both literally and metaphorically. It was strange, she had just met the girl, but already she felt as if she could trust her completely. She had the feeling that that was the reaction many would have towards this tall cheerily optimistic woman beside her.

Brittany's hand had acted as an anchor, keeping her steady and level-headed. Or alternatively, a buoy, keeping her afloat when she felt like she was sinking within herself. The blonde was like a guiding beacon in a moment of blindness, a blindness caused by Rachel's fear, darkening and shrouding her senses.

Rachel chewed the inside of her cheek as her love of metaphors got the better of her, offering her a small reprieve in her mind by distracting her momentarily from the outside world. As the distance between her and the patiently waiting Mercedes lessened, Rachel realised that no matter what figurative comparison she made, the end result would always be the same. Brittany was her best chance of surviving in this place.

Eyebrows of the observing women raised at the close connection between the two contrasting opposites; the tall blue-eyed blonde and the short brown-eyed brunette practically inseparable, attached to the hip. One exuding confidence and courage, the other timid and unsure. One inmate in particular watched the two newbies purposefully before disappearing inside to report her findings.


	2. Chapter 2: Introductions

**Introductions**

The inside of the prison, although filled with constant activity and life, felt so _vapid_. The walls were painted a dull uninspiring and lifeless grey, and the bland pale blue floors were illuminated by the soft buzzing of the oppressive fluorescent lighting above. It reminded her of some of the wings in the Lima General Hospital her daddy worked in. She had never liked being there, the morbid feeling of dread and death lurking in every room she passed, never wanting to chance a glance inside at the injured or sickly patients. The only difference now was that the prospect of imminent death being just as much of a real possibility, only, for _her_. She didn't know which she felt more comfortable being in, hospital or prison. At least here she had Brittany to lean on. She honestly didn't know how she'd be handling herself if the blonde hadn't been in it with her from the get go to help her retain her composure and sanity.

"Go down this hall and into the first door for processing where you'll get your room assignments and new ID," Mercedes instructed mechanically, obviously having recited the same words countless times in the past.

Rachel used to love getting her photo taken. In fact, back in high school she would practically pounce at the chance of a photo opportunity, being a part of as many extra-curricular clubs as possible so that her face was an almost constant throughout the annual thunderclap yearbooks. She thought that it would help her prepare for her future in New York as a famous Broadway star and Hollywood actress, knowing paparazzi would be taking snaps of her every time she stepped out into the public eye. She had spent hours studying her facial structure at every angle and in every different lighting setting in order to ensure she found the perfect shot taken of her on her best side for her audition portfolio. She never however ever anticipated getting her photo taken here.

"Raise your head and look directly at the lens."

Rachel stood tall, well, at her full height, as she obeyed the instructions called out to her by the male officer standing behind a desk that rested a camera atop a mini tripod, a laptop facing away from her beside it. The man was tall, very tall. She estimated he was around 6'3" and in his late twenties.

Rubbing his mullet with one hand as his other aimlessly tapped keys and buttons, his countenance held a look of pure confusion as he tried operating the camera.

"Uhhhh, Coleman, help me out over here for a sec? It's not taking the photo."

The second officer in the room groaned in annoyance as he stood from his chair and tossed the latest issue of Playboy magazine onto the table he had been leaning his legs up on.

"Did you even check if it was turned on?"

"Dude, I'm not stupid."

"Could've fooled me," he scoffed, before lightly shoving the taller officer to the side so he could inspect it himself. "Ugh, I have to do everything myself around here," Officer Coleman dead-panned as he rolled his eyes before looking around and finding the problem. "You didn't plug the wire in. You're fucking hopeless, you know that Nelson? Maybe _she_ should be taking _your_ photo."

"I've only been here for a couple of weeks, Josh. Just cut me a break for once, man."

"It's _Coleman_ to you, Nelson. And no, I can't '_cut you a break'_ because this job involves handling hardened criminals. If you're weak, they'll take advantage of you. You can't let yourself get lazy and complacent, because they're fucking _dangerous_. Take this chick for example," Josh tilted his head toward Rachel who stood ramrod straight as the tall read-headed officer also eyed her warily. "You don't know why she's in here. For all you know she could have murdered the last man that _'cut her a break'_, so learn to do your damn job so I don't have to worry about you fucking up and making me look bad anymore."

Nelson sneered before shoving Coleman back and retaking his position in front of the laptop control keys, hitting the capture button and catching Rachel unaware. After the flash successfully went off, Officer Coleman finally looked up from the screen to meet Rachel's startled expression, a cocky smile gracing his lips as he raked in the sight of her. Really, raked it all in, eyeing her up and down from head to toe.

"Wait," he ordered as Officer Nelson hovered over the off button. "That first picture didn't do her justice, she wasn't ready for it. Take another."

Rachel internally smiled at knowing she had another chance to have a more flattering photo of herself as her representation.

Nelson looked a little nonplussed but abided the command and this time checked to see if the inmate was prepared for it this time, the woman's paltry nod giving him the go-ahead.

The second picture came out perfectly, earning a smug hum of approval from Officer Coleman as he finished creating Rachel her new identification, slipping the finished product into a protective plastic covering with an alligator clip on the back and handing it to her.

Rachel thanked him as she collected it before looking down and seeing the original photo of her instead of the improved second one. She looked up into amused yet hardened light brown eyes as Coleman slipped the second print out of her into his pant pocket.

"I think I'll keep this one for myself, it's _too_ _pretty_ to have a prison ID," he smirked, tapping the side of his leg where the photo sat. A cold chill ran up Rachel's back as his lowly wispy voice met her ears. Hurriedly, she turned and left the room, those arrogant eyes still watching her every step as she did.

Meeting Brittany and Mercedes back out in the hallway, the taller girl toying with her own new ID badge's clip as she fastened it onto her top's material, the orange-clad women got a check-up from a resident nurse, getting their full bill of good health before they continued on their introductory tour.

"Over to the left down here are the rooms where you'll stay in until you get your official dorm bunk assignments," Mercedes explained as she led Rachel and Brittany further into the facility. "Counsellors offices are down there to the right, straight ahead are the cafeteria hall, common room and phones, and just here is the exit to the track and exercise yard."

Rachel settled a little at the information, happy to know that her morning exercise routine wouldn't be too heavily impacted whilst she was an inmate. She would not let herself lose tone and fitness just because of her circumstance. She wondered if there was an elliptical available, but she sighed as she highly doubted it.

"Here's you," Mercedes motioned with her outstretched hand outside a small room with two sets of bunk beds on either side. Metal storage cabinets sat beside the doorway and smaller ones acted as nightstands between the two bunks.

The first thing Rachel noticed though were the already present inhabitants occupying one set of the bunks. The girl on the bottom bed sat cross-legged on top of her mattress, striking cobalt blue eyes, darker than Brittany's, and soft brown hair framing her young features. Rachel frowned as she estimated that she would have been no older than 18. The girl's eyebrows raised in intrigue as Brittany and Rachel stepped into the room, the former throwing her stuff onto the top bunk before calling out, "dibs!"

Rachel offered her new roommates a shy smile as she stepped in further before laying her claim to the bed below Brittany's.

"A'ight, well, don't get too comfy 'cause y'all will be issued your permanent single beds in the proper dorms. This is just temporary."

Brittany pouted as she heard the news. She liked the bunk beds, and her current roommates seemed pretty cool. She didn't want to move and be separated, not from Rachel at least.

"In a bit an officer will escort y'all one by one to your respective counsellor where you'll get that info and work assignments and your personal belongings and yada yada. Anyways, I gotta go help with dinner prep in the kitchens. I'll catch y'all later." Mercedes waved as she left, a silence echoing in her wake.

"These beds aren't very comfy or soft," Brittany groaned as she shifted around above her, the old springs squeaking above Rachel as she tried to settle in.

Rachel hummed loudly in agreement as she also tested her new sleeping quarters out, a frown set on her brow.

"Hardly any lumbar support," Rachel stage whispered.

"What'd you expect? The Four Seasons?" an unknown voice responded sarcastically.

A girl lay down seemingly unperturbed on the top bunk, one leg bent and the other resting across it mid-air, swaying from side to side as she flicked through a magazine that hid her face.

Brittany twisted her attention from her kneading of the thin and slightly lumpy mattress in the direction of the reply, followed by Rachel and the girl on the opposite bottom bunk.

"Well, na, I didn't expect like anything fancy or nothing, but I thought that maybe-"

The magazine fell to the girl's chest as she scoffed up at the ceiling. "Look, they don't give a shit about us or how well we sleep at night in this hell hole. Did you really think they'd care enough to spend a little extra tax payer dollars on a thicker bed to rest convicted felons? Stop complaining and just accept it. You'll learn to sooner or later, but it'll be less annoying for me if it's sooner because I've been dealing with people whining over irrelevant shit like this for too long."

Rachel stood up from her bed and offered Brittany a small soothing smile because she could feel that the words thrown at the blonde were bringing her down from the stopping of the squeaky springs caused by the lack of movement above her. Brittany's smile returned slightly at the gesture before Rachel turned around to defend her friend.

"Look, this is all very new for us, ok? We don't know what to expect and we've literally _just_ gotten our first feel of what our bedding will be like."

The girl on the top bunk laughed before sitting up and leaning back on her elbows to get a real good look at the new girls. "First timers, huh? Yeah, you definitely look it."

Rachel studied the appearance of this young girl, surmising that she would have been just a year or so younger than herself. Her blonde hair was pulled into a firm ponytail at the top of her head, her narrowed hazel eyes running up and down the short form of the strange brunette standing at the foot of her bunk.

"What do you mean we _look_ it?" Rachel questioned a little defensively, crossing her arms over her chest.

The blonde laughed again before swinging her legs over her bed's edge, hopping down to the floor and matching Rachel's height. "What I meeean," she drawled out, rolling her eyes, "is that, you don't look like you've been effected by the law before in your life, let alone broken it before. You have something that most of us have already lost. Something in your eyes…"

"And what's that exactly?" Rachel threw back offensively.

"Hope."

Rachel's eyes widened as the word was spoken so gently to her, no malice or attacking tone in the other girl's voice any more. She let her arms relax and fall down to her sides before sighing softly.

"I…I'm- _we_," she included Brittany with a quick motion of her finger pointing between the two of them, "don't really know what we're getting into. We didn't mean to upset you. I'm sorry, everything is just so different here."

The blonde nodded before turning around and walking to her bed's head, tucking her magazine underneath her pillow.

"Hey, it's fine. I get it. I've just been in and out of places like this my whole life, so I'm used to it. Not all of us grew up on the right side of the tracks," she said as Rachel ducked her head sympathetically. "Just, try not to talk so much. You might piss people that have had to deal with crappy beds like these ones for what seems like forever. You'll just sound like a privileged little bitch to them, because they will know that you've been able to sleep peacefully in a bed nothing like these ones for much longer than they have."

Rachel had the decency to look somewhat ashamed, realising how self-absorbed she had been in her thinking. Walking back over and sitting down on her bed, she let her hair fall over her, masking her fallen face. How could she be so insensitive? She knew she would have sounded so entitled when really she had no reason to be. Brittany jumped down and sat next to Rachel, nudging her with her shoulder.

"They aren't too bad, right Berry?" she encouraged sweetly, trying to lift the heavy mood. "I mean, it's better than I've had before. Much better than the floor."

Rachel turned to Brittany, brown irises glossed over with tears held within. She realised that she didn't know much about Brittany's background at all, but by the sounds of it, she didn't live a very extravagant life either. Not at all like her own at least. She felt a rush of guilt overcome her, but refused to let anyone see her cry. How would that look? The new girl crying after just an hour in prison, and over a stupid _mattress_ of all things. So she smiled back at Brittany before nudging her back softly.

The girl opposite them still sat on her bottom bunk watched the two with her own smile spreading across her delicate features. Seeing the harmlessness and friendliness, she decided she would like to get to know these women better, because she had no idea what the others she would meet later would be like. She only hoped that they'd be similar.

"I'm Rose," she spoke gingerly, meeting a brighter blue gaze across the way. "Marley Rose."

"Nice to meet ya, I'm Brittany Pierce, and this here is my new friend Rachel Berry," Brittany replied before standing up and closing the distance between the beds to offer her hand.

Marley smiled and stood too, shaking it appreciatively.

"Wilde."

Three sets of eyes looked toward the turned back of the shorter blonde in the room.

"My name is Wilde, but everyone has always just called me Kitty."

"It's a pleasure to make both of your acquaintances," Rachel chimed in, so glad to feel the tension in the room and in herself disappear.

Kitty snickered as she spun around to face the group. "'_A pleasure to make our acquaintance'_? Seriously? What decade are you _from_ Berry?" she mocked loudly, imitating Rachel's voice.

Rachel grinned as she felt some of her confidence grow, no longer fearing the teasing tone in Kitty's voice.

"This one, thank you very much! Although I would have loved to have been born in the sixties. I think that decade was one of the most significant in history, not just in terms of humanity and our positive progression towards equality for all, but also in terms of music-"

"Yeah, yeah, we all love the Beatles but for the love of all things good in this miserable stinking world please stop your rambling and just _let it be_, alright?"

Marley and Rachel shared a look before both broke out in song, singing the lyrics that Kitty had just unknowingly referenced.

Brittany joined in too before Kitty rolled her eyes again, hiding a smile behind her hand.

"What the hell did I do to deserve to get stuck with you three?"

The three other girls giggled as they finished the chorus off.

"You know ya wanna join, Kitty," Brittany winked before Kitty groaned, climbing back onto her bed and muffling all noise by squashing her pillow over her ears and droning loudly.

"You know, that actually didn't sound too bad," a male voice broke in, silencing everyone in the room and drawing their focus to the hall.

An officer, whom Rachel had deduced to be named 'J. St. James' via the white stitching across the right side of his chest of his light azure shirt, stood in the door way, his attitude seemingly laxed as he nonchalantly leaned against the door's frame.

"I mean, it wasn't _great, _but it didn't make me want to bash my head against a wall, which says a lot," he quipped before fully entering the room and plucking out a slip of paper. "I'm here for a Berry," he continued before laughing facetiously. "The person, not fruit."

Rachel stood forward, looking up at him nervously. "That's me."

"Well aren't you the genuine article?" He said as he met her uncertain chocolate brown gaze. She was hesitant, worried that all male officers would be just as intimidating as the other two she'd met.

"If I saw you on the outside and didn't know any better, I'd have thought you were a young aspiring actress, not a felon. Your ID photo should be an audition head shot, not a mug shot," St. James complimented, his dashing smile making Rachel's cheeks tinge pink.

"Thank you, Sir."

"Oh no, I'm no Sir. The Queen hasn't knighted me _just_ yet," he jokingly replied with a wink. Realising the probably inappropriate casualness of the conversation with an _inmate_, St. James rolled his shoulders and stood up, returning to his usual professional stance. "I'm an officer, so you may refer to me as one."

Rachel nodded along understandingly, less apprehensive after the companionable banter. "Yes, Officer."

Officer St. James cleared his throat before telling her that her counsellor was ready to see her, ordering her to follow him before leaving her outside the door to make her own way inside the humble office.

* * *

"Please, come in and take a seat, Miss Berry."

Rachel graciously adhered as she sat down in the cushioned chair in front of a moderately sized chestnut wooden desk, letting herself sink into it gently.

The man behind the desk looked up from his stack of paperwork, giving her a welcoming smile. He shuffled and straightened the ones in his hand and placed them to the side before giving her his full attention.

"Welcome to Lima Heights Adjacent, I'm Kurt Hummel and I'll be your counsellor for the duration of your stay here. I'm here for you to come to with any and all complaints or worries. It's my job to listen and try to help in any way I can, so I hope the fact that we're on different sides of the bars doesn't deter you from trusting me." His voice was soft and effeminate. Rachel mused the thought of how high his vocal range would be, and how he'd make a wonderful countertenor.

She eased back a little and worried her bottom lip between her teeth before tuning back in and registering the words, giving a reply accordingly.

"Thank you, Mr Hummel."

"Great, now if it's not too much to ask, I'd like to ask some questions to help me get to know you and your situation better. Is that ok?" he asked, leaving room for her to object if she felt the need or desire to not have this personal conversation right at that minute.

Rachel nodded again.

"Lovely," he grinned broadly, threading his fingers together as he leaned forward in his chair, his meticulously coiffed hair only out-shined by his interested electric blue eyes. "Now, I have read some of your file, mainly your crimes, but I find that they always only tell half-truths and that there are many sides to the story. Would you like to clarify yours?"

Releasing her lip from her mouth and placing her hands in her lap, Rachel lightly scratched her palms before looking up determinedly.

"I would."

* * *

_She knew it was a bad idea. She knew the dangers and the risks, and she chose to ignore them all and go along with it anyway. The ends justify the means, right? That's what she kept telling herself the entire car ride there. Repeating it like a mantra, but in her head it sounded more like a prayer. A prayer to forgive her actions, because the reason behind them was just and true. She ignored that irking feeling of warning that persistently niggled at her mind's forefront as she climbed through the sliced open security fence. She ignored her gut instinct that was screaming at her to just turn back and go home to the safety of her dorm room and prepare for classes the next day. But she supressed it all as she was handed a pair of wire cutters by another activist in the group, the looks of desperation and terror all aimed at her from the countless animals, all trapped, restrained and tortured in cages, finally helping her put something before herself. Their fear taking priority over her own._

_She ignored the flash of concern that crossed her friends' faces as they watched her pour the corrupting poisons into the large vats of artificial hormones and chemicals, destroying the contents of every single one. Thousands upon thousands of dollars-worth of chemicals destroyed by her hand. She looked down from the elevated walkway she stood on at the group of people all cheering at their success, their shouts only silenced by the deafening whirl of security alarms and police sirens that had broken in the distance._

_She watched as they all ran for the jarred open back emergency exit, many animals of all shapes and sizes; from chickens and mice to monkeys and cats and dogs, all fleeing for their freedom. She yelled for her friends to wait for her, nobody hearing over the bells now ringing throughout the room and building._

_She luckily made it out before it closed and bolted shut behind her, escaping from the facility and running as fast as she could._

* * *

"I thought I'd gotten away with it like the others, but the cameras had seen my face after I'd foolishly removed my mask outside of the factory's fences. They charged me with property damage and destruction, and trespassing. Because I was a first time offender and I chose to self-surrendered myself, they cut my time down to 15 months," Rachel concluded, glad to have someone to be able to trustingly share her story with on the inside that wasn't also a criminal.

"They had you on tape, but you _chose_ to give yourself in," Kurt said to himself more than her. "That's very admirable of you. But I wonder, why didn't you reduce your sentence further by naming those that conspired and executed the crime with you?"

"Because they were my friends. We all went to NYADA together and were in the same classes or vegan and animal rights support and PETA activist groups-"

"Wait, you attended the New York Academy of the Dramatic Arts?!" Hummel squeaked, jumping a little in his chair. "I had wanted to go there too, but my audition didn't impress enough, so I settled for Ohio State, and after finishing my psychology degree there, I got a stable enough job here with decent benefits. What did you attend for? Dance?"

"Music," Rachel beamed proudly. "I sing…well, _sang_, but my illegal actions got my scholarship revoked, and myself kicked out of my dream college," Rachel sighed as her demeanour changed instantly. She wiped away tears that slowly slid down her rosy cheeks. "I didn't want others to have their lives ruined like mine was. I know the others were just as scared as I was. And who knows? Maybe if I wasn't the one to get caught, I'd have done the same as them and let someone else take the fall too."

"You do know they most likely wouldn't have shown you the same curtesy and consideration, right? That they would have selfishly named _you_ in order to get themselves out of a place like _here_ sooner?"

Rachel just shrugged. "I suppose I was just so used to being selfish about everything in my life, it felt so good to do something completely selfless for once. The feeling of freedom those animals would have felt was a price I was willing to pay for my own entrapment." She laughed as she spoke her next words. "I guess I swapped places with them in a way. Now I'm the caged creature that's treated like a voiceless animal, with little to no control over what happens to me. Life's funny like that, isn't it?"

Kurt just closed his tired eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose as he exhaled through it. "The system is funny like that. I know of a crack dealer that's doing nine months, and then a lady that accidentally backed into a mailman that's doing three years. I mean, the man broke his collarbone, but how is that fair at all?" He reached over to place his hand over hers, trying to offer her his support. "I promise you, Berry, I'll do everything I can to make sure you aren't treated like an animal in here. You have my word."

Rachel cracked a smile before focusing on her breathing to calm her emotions down again. Counsellor Hummel lifted his hand from hers before changing the subject and handing her some tissues and papers that he had readied beforehand.

"Your educational history has led me to believe you'd be ideal to have you placed on library work detail. It's one of the most desirable positions offered here, so I hope you'll agree that it's appropriate for you. Also, you're lucky to have been admitted here when you were. We have some open beds in the dorms, so you won't need to stay in those bunk beds for much longer. You will be placed in dorm B, bed 21."

"Thank you, Mr Hummel, for listening and…and just, everything. By any chance, do you know anything about who my roommate will be or what she's like?"

"You're welcome, Miss Berry. And please, call me Kurt during our sessions in here. I'm only five years older than yourself, and whenever I hear 'Mr Hummel' I always resist the urge to look around to see if they're referring to my father. Unfortunately, I can't share private details about other inmates with you…"

Rachel nodded good-naturedly before standing from her seat and shaking his faintly moisturised pale hand.

"Thanks, Kurt."

She turned to take her leave, but just as she reached the brass door handle, Kurt's high-pitched voice grasped her attention once again.

"Oh, but as for your bunkmate, there is one thing I _can_ tell you." Rachel turned around curiously to meet his trustful gaze once again.

"Fabray. Her name's Quinn Fabray."


End file.
